Dear Members of the Clark Community,
One of our highest priorities at Clark is to be a just, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming institution – a place where all of our students, faculty, and staff are valued and given opportunities to flourish. Our Office of Diversity and Inclusion serves as a critical hub for our work in this area and, today, I am pleased to share that we have new, energizing leadership to not only oversee the office, but ensure we fulfill our commitments to DEI.
Effective October 15, Margo R. Foreman, MPH will assume the role of vice president and chief officer of diversity, equity, and inclusion (CODEI) at Clark. Margo’s appointment is the culmination of a nearly year-long, national search for an outstanding candidate who would bring to Clark vision, passion, an innovative spirit, and a strong track record of success in advancing organizational DEI efforts. Margo will be a transformational leader and, on behalf of the entire administration, I am thrilled that she is joining our University community.
For the past 20 years, Margo has inspired and propelled forward DEI programs in higher education both at the institutions she has served and through her affiliation with prominent national organizations. Currently, Margo is interim vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion and assistant vice president for diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity at Iowa State University. During her tenure there, she has moved her institution forward on many fronts – from diversity recruitment and retention, to collaboration with affinity groups, to campus climate reporting, and engagement, dialogue, and trust-building with faculty, students, and staff. At Iowa State and previously at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Margo directed Title IX and ADA compliance and workforce diversity and equal employment opportunity programs. She is an active member of the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education and the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED) which is the longest-serving association of professionals in related fields. Next month, she will receive the President’s Award for Excellence and Service from the AAAED for outstanding leadership, commitment, and impact.
Margo is a strategic thinker and an especially engaging DEI practitioner who cares deeply about transparency, authenticity, candor, and mutual respect. She is an exceptional listener who communicates effectively and creates space for disparate perspectives. She also is a life-long learner, currently working toward her doctorate in education leadership in higher education from the American College of Education. Margo earned her master in public health degree from Indiana University and her bachelor of science degree in social behavior science from IUPUI.
As vice president and CODEI, Margo will report to me and serve as a key member of the University’s senior leadership team. Margo will oversee our collective work to evolve and implement a strategic vision and set of initiatives in support of advancing DEI. As a key advisor to me and many others across the University, including deans, department chairs, faculty, staff, student groups, and other key campus and community partners, Margo will help ensure we meet and even exceed our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Margo will provide direction and oversight of institutional priorities and strategic planning to strengthen our community, culture, and climate through additional programming, community dialogue, training, and advice on curriculum development. She also will join me as a co-chair of our University Diversity Action Council.
I am confident that Margo will make a tremendous difference in advancing our DEI efforts and in creating a culture that better reflects who we aspire to be as a University. As she shared with me, Margo is eager and excited to “coordinate and build bridges with all of the Clark family”—including alumni and friends. She will be joining us remotely until she and her family are able to relocate to Massachusetts in November.
I extend sincere gratitude to Dean Esther Jones, Dean Betsy Huang, Professor Jie Park, and Michael Vidal who provided exceptional leadership during the interim as we searched for our next CODEI, as well as thanks to the individuals listed below who served on our search committee.
Please join me in congratulating Margo on her appointment and welcoming her to Clark.
Sincerely,
David Fithian ’87
President
Search Committee
- Chair: Esther Jones, Dean of the Faculty
- Amir Aazami, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
- Ariana Afshar, ’21, undergraduate representative
- Kam Barrows, ’22, undergraduate representative
- Lamara Burgess, Director of Student Support Management
- David Chearo, Vice President of Planning & Strategic Initiatives
- Trish Cronin, Director of Athletics & Recreation
- Maria-Elisa Gallant, Assistant Director of Student Leadership & Programming and Co-Chair Staff Assembly
- Betsy Huang, Associate Provost and Dean of the College
- Quincy Milton, III, Graduate Student Council representative
- Jie Park, Assistant Professor of Education and Director, Center for Gender, Race & Area Studies
- Jennifer Plante, Associate Dean of Academic Services
- Laurie Ross, Professor of Community Development and Planning
- Andrew Stewart, Assistant Professor of Psychology
- Michael Vidal, Former Director for Diversity & Inclusive Excellence